What do you think?
Rate this book
Kill All Happies
This is it. Graduation. Vic is going to throw the most epic party this town's ever seen. She's going to give her friends and everyone's favorite restaurant, Happies, a proper send-off, and you better believe she's going to hook up with Jake. All she needs to do is to keep it all a secret so that Miss Thrope, the town's nightmare councilwoman and high school economics teacher, doesn't ruin it.
So once the party's started and Thrope's nowhere to be seen, everything seems perfect - that is until droves of Happies fans start arriving. Now what was a small graduation bash is suddenly Coachella on steroids. The night is so not going as planned - but maybe that's the best plan of all.
So once the party's started and Thrope's nowhere to be seen, everything seems perfect - that is until droves of Happies fans start arriving. Now what was a small graduation bash is suddenly Coachella on steroids. The night is so not going as planned - but maybe that's the best plan of all.
Audible Audio
First published May 2, 2017
27 people are currently reading
1775 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Cohn
34 books2,304 followersRachel grew up in the D.C. area and graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in Political Science. She has written many YA novels, including three that she cowrote with her friend and colleague David Levithan. She lives and writes (when she's not reading other people's books, organizing her music library or looking for the best cappuccino) in New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
January 1, 2018
3.
Liked this book but wanted more. I found the characters to be a little unrealistic and the book was muddled down with it's own slang & etc. Very short & easy to fly through though!
Liked this book but wanted more. I found the characters to be a little unrealistic and the book was muddled down with it's own slang & etc. Very short & easy to fly through though!
May 24, 2017
2.5 Stars
This was just meh. Also, I need clarification, is this suppose to be young adult or new adult?
This was just meh. Also, I need clarification, is this suppose to be young adult or new adult?
February 21, 2024
This review and a giveaway of the book can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I have a confession to make: I didn’t think I was going to like this book. In fact, when I received it in the mail and re-read the blurb, I thought to myself, “Why did I accept this book for review? What was I thinking? This is not my kind of book at all!” You see, I’m not usually a fan of the type of book that glorifies teenage partying and general bad behavior, and when I re-read the blurb, I was pretty sure that was what I was in for. I was wrong … sort of. Okay, fine, in some ways I was kind of right, but somehow Rachel Cohn made me like this book anyway.
What Fed My Addiction:
Vic.
The main reason Kill All Happies ended up appealing to me is that the MC, even under relatively crazy circumstances, is surprisingly smart and level-headed. Oh, don’t get me wrong, she’s a teenager, and she makes some very “teenage logic” type decisions (now that I have teenagers of my own I know this logic oh-so-well). The fact that she’s throwing an entire party basically because she’s hoping to have sex with her best friend’s hot brother is not my favorite of motivations—but that’s not all there is to Vic. She cares about things—her friends, her community, what Happies restaurant symbolizes to them all. And she’s actually trying to be pretty intelligent about the party itself—she doesn’t judge anyone for acting crazy, but she repeatedly takes care of things to make sure nothing goes too far (well, she tries, at least). She needs this party as an outlet because her life as she knows it is ending (not because of happies, but because she and her friends are leaving), and she’s not 100% sure where it’s headed next. At the same time, we get a clear picture that Vic is more than capable—she’s just a bit lost. This makes her relatable (at least to me).
Happies restaurant.
The Happies restaurant element is actually what drew me in in the first place (that's why I first accepted the book for review---something about the concept drew me in). I loved the idea of this old diner (and even older amusement park) with a weird cult following. The parts of the book that involved the Happies fans were all sorts of amusing, and I could vividly imagine the old, broken down theme park. (Wouldn't it be incredibly fun to visit something like that?)
The romance.
I was fairly certain that the romance in this book was going to be a low-point for me, considering the fact that we knew from the start that Vic was just out for a booty call with her best friend’s older brother. He seems relatively sleazy, at that—not sure what he had going for him besides the fact that he’s hot. But Cohn turns things around on us and keeps us guessing, and I ended up loving how everything ended in the romance department.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Underdeveloped secondary characters.
Honestly, this book is about Vic, and everyone else is sort of a backdrop. Even Vic’s best friends feel a teensy bit like cardboard cutouts because we just don’t get to know them enough to truly care about them or their relationship with Vic. Because this book focuses a lot on the crazy events of the party night and on Vic’s experiences, there just isn’t time to do a lot of intense character development with the secondary characters. I still enjoyed many of them, but I would have liked a bit more. Then there was the “villain” of the book, Thrope, who pretty much came off as a cartoon character. We never get any true insight into why the heck Thrope is so insane, so we kind of just have to accept her at face value.
Not reading this for realism.
There were lots of points where I was rolling my eyes at the craziness, especially with interactions at the beginning and end of the book between Vic and Thrope. This book is a fun read, not a particularly grounded or realistic one.
And, yep, it does glorify teen bad behavior at some points.
Not gonna lie, I didn’t love everything that went on at Vic’s party, but I recognize that I’m not the target audience, and I felt like it was balanced a lot by Vic herself, who did seem to have a good head on her shoulders (except for her crush). My biggest issue is that there was casual drug use (even by Vic), which always really bugs me. I have personal issues with teen drug use being portrayed as “no big deal” based on events that happened to people close to me in my past, so I’m never a fan of this in books.
I think “fun read” sums this book up pretty darn nicely. You certainly can’t go into this book expecting to take it too seriously—but if you’re like me, you’ll be surprised by how much Vic will grow on you, and you’ll kind of be rooting for that Happies party to go down in history for its awesomeness (and for its level of catastrophic failure). I give this book 3.5/5 Stars (which has easily been rounded to 4).
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
I have a confession to make: I didn’t think I was going to like this book. In fact, when I received it in the mail and re-read the blurb, I thought to myself, “Why did I accept this book for review? What was I thinking? This is not my kind of book at all!” You see, I’m not usually a fan of the type of book that glorifies teenage partying and general bad behavior, and when I re-read the blurb, I was pretty sure that was what I was in for. I was wrong … sort of. Okay, fine, in some ways I was kind of right, but somehow Rachel Cohn made me like this book anyway.
What Fed My Addiction:
Vic.
The main reason Kill All Happies ended up appealing to me is that the MC, even under relatively crazy circumstances, is surprisingly smart and level-headed. Oh, don’t get me wrong, she’s a teenager, and she makes some very “teenage logic” type decisions (now that I have teenagers of my own I know this logic oh-so-well). The fact that she’s throwing an entire party basically because she’s hoping to have sex with her best friend’s hot brother is not my favorite of motivations—but that’s not all there is to Vic. She cares about things—her friends, her community, what Happies restaurant symbolizes to them all. And she’s actually trying to be pretty intelligent about the party itself—she doesn’t judge anyone for acting crazy, but she repeatedly takes care of things to make sure nothing goes too far (well, she tries, at least). She needs this party as an outlet because her life as she knows it is ending (not because of happies, but because she and her friends are leaving), and she’s not 100% sure where it’s headed next. At the same time, we get a clear picture that Vic is more than capable—she’s just a bit lost. This makes her relatable (at least to me).
Happies restaurant.
The Happies restaurant element is actually what drew me in in the first place (that's why I first accepted the book for review---something about the concept drew me in). I loved the idea of this old diner (and even older amusement park) with a weird cult following. The parts of the book that involved the Happies fans were all sorts of amusing, and I could vividly imagine the old, broken down theme park. (Wouldn't it be incredibly fun to visit something like that?)
The romance.
I was fairly certain that the romance in this book was going to be a low-point for me, considering the fact that we knew from the start that Vic was just out for a booty call with her best friend’s older brother. He seems relatively sleazy, at that—not sure what he had going for him besides the fact that he’s hot. But Cohn turns things around on us and keeps us guessing, and I ended up loving how everything ended in the romance department.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Underdeveloped secondary characters.
Honestly, this book is about Vic, and everyone else is sort of a backdrop. Even Vic’s best friends feel a teensy bit like cardboard cutouts because we just don’t get to know them enough to truly care about them or their relationship with Vic. Because this book focuses a lot on the crazy events of the party night and on Vic’s experiences, there just isn’t time to do a lot of intense character development with the secondary characters. I still enjoyed many of them, but I would have liked a bit more. Then there was the “villain” of the book, Thrope, who pretty much came off as a cartoon character. We never get any true insight into why the heck Thrope is so insane, so we kind of just have to accept her at face value.
Not reading this for realism.
There were lots of points where I was rolling my eyes at the craziness, especially with interactions at the beginning and end of the book between Vic and Thrope. This book is a fun read, not a particularly grounded or realistic one.
And, yep, it does glorify teen bad behavior at some points.
Not gonna lie, I didn’t love everything that went on at Vic’s party, but I recognize that I’m not the target audience, and I felt like it was balanced a lot by Vic herself, who did seem to have a good head on her shoulders (except for her crush). My biggest issue is that there was casual drug use (even by Vic), which always really bugs me. I have personal issues with teen drug use being portrayed as “no big deal” based on events that happened to people close to me in my past, so I’m never a fan of this in books.
I think “fun read” sums this book up pretty darn nicely. You certainly can’t go into this book expecting to take it too seriously—but if you’re like me, you’ll be surprised by how much Vic will grow on you, and you’ll kind of be rooting for that Happies party to go down in history for its awesomeness (and for its level of catastrophic failure). I give this book 3.5/5 Stars (which has easily been rounded to 4).
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
March 14, 2019
Why is nobody else talking about the gross portrayal of a character with OCD who is the butt of every joke in the few scenes he is in? He is a giant uninformed stereotype and may have been used to show Vic's sense of character (see other people's reviews talking about her slut-shaming and comment on domestic abuse) but it was seriously unnecessary. It didn't sit well with me who is someone who doesn't suffer with OCD so I can't imagine how offensive it would be to see your own struggle portrayed in this offensive missinformed caricature.
June 28, 2019
Jesus fuck. Pardon my language but jesus fuck. I've read a lot of bad books this year and I hand out one stars like nobody's business but THIS is one of the ultimate one stars to ever one star. Not only was this book complete awful trash, it was also highly offensive to pretty much everyone so I'm not holding back. Was this even YA?
This book has slut-shaming, fat shaming, making mental illness the butt of jokes, and extremely distasteful LGBT "rep". The guy is the overly stereotyped flamboyant gay "token" character and oh, it turns out he WASN'T even gay but just a straight guy pretending! He said he just let the MC assume but he put on such an act, even giving her bra advice (?? gay men are bra experts!!!!) and having her try on different ones in front of him before (??????). He made comments about her breasts randomly and she was confused in which he said something of the sort that gay men can apparently still like women's breasts? He even thanked her for the show ha ha such a funny joke and totally not gross as hell. And yet they end up together, so romantic. We love a guy who straight up lies for ages and invades a girl's privacy. We love one of the few LGBT characters turning out to be straight in some dramatic twist because the MC found out his brother (the guy she was so desperate to sleep with) was awful. Yikes is all I can truly say to that.
This MC, I don't care what her name is- she's SUCH an asshole. Even though this entire book and almost everything she does is to get some super gross douche guy to notice her and have sex with her, she spends most of the time slut-shaming everyone, even someone wearing a bikini in hot desert weather? Wow what a tramp throwing herself around dancing and having fun too. The MC even treats her best friends like shit and while they stand up to her in the end, it isn't enough or excuses any of this girl hate.
I don't normally throw this around but oh my god this book was so trashy. It's all about some party that gets out of hand (or whatever, this plot is so weak and filled with characters that don't even do anything interesting) but it's really just teenagers drinking alcohol like it's water and being annoying shits. There was so much cussing too, go off I guess. I've read some annoying books but everything in this was just straight up obnoxious and just plain weird. I didn't notice the avg rating before reading but wow, 3.06 is still more than this deserves. Obviously don't even waste a single second on this problematic shit. It wasn't even entertaining problematic shit.
June 27, 2020
I did not like this book. However, the main character is what made me like it a little bit. She was the most likeable thing to come out of this book and that is it. I did not think the author executed this book properly, as it did not appeal to me whatsoever. There were so many times where the characters acted strange or did something very different and it made no sense. Also, the time sequence of this book does not correlate to the plot or events at all. I felt it was very sloppy and all over the place. There were many moments where I cringed and wondered if I could make it through this book. It had a great concept and I feel like it should have been written to make it stronger. Overall, I am relieved I read this because I have been eyeing it for a while, but it was a great disappointment.
Read
April 2, 2017DNF @ page 68 because I can't handle the slurs. Nope.
September 19, 2017
THIS IS SUCH A FUN READ. It's quick, it's addicting, and you won't be able to put it down. All the characters are great, the storyline is pretty relatable, and even though it's unrealistic at times, it will still make you laugh a lot and you will have a great time reading this for sure! I really liked this book. It's about this girl's senior year, and she wants to throw an amazing party for her senior class at this diner that everyone in her grade goes to and that diner is getting shut down. This is kind of like the last big party, and she plans it in a day. There's a theme park attached to the diner that's abandoned, but the party kind of takes place in both the diner and the theme park. Now, like any party with a bunch of teenagers and access to alcohol, it goes crazy. There's fires, and yelling, making out, inappropriate jokes, a lot of heated scenes, etc. It's so funny, especially since the whole book is about the party, you really get all the details and you feel like you are physically there alongside the characters. I loved the progression as the chapters went on and the characters were getting more and more drunk and so they started being more funny and doing hilarious things. I also liked how they gave some backstory for context and included information about their friends and family to help make the story feel more whole. It was just a fun, crazy read that I loved.
June 2, 2017
I was expecting this book to feel like a fun 80s read. The whole story centers around know last bash at the local restaurant there closing for good. What I got was a female lead, Victoria Vic who I greatly disliked. She read as extremely immature, single-minded, and not very likeable.
There were plenty of interesting places and background stories, but this feel flat. It lacked the quirky, funny, and fresh feel I've come to associate with Rachel Cohn.
The plot felt flimsy and I was disappointed with the things not explored. Also, not okay with field referring to themselves or each other as dumbsluts. #nothanks There were some fun moments , but overall this was a luke warm read for me.
There were plenty of interesting places and background stories, but this feel flat. It lacked the quirky, funny, and fresh feel I've come to associate with Rachel Cohn.
The plot felt flimsy and I was disappointed with the things not explored. Also, not okay with field referring to themselves or each other as dumbsluts. #nothanks There were some fun moments , but overall this was a luke warm read for me.
August 19, 2018
I liked the initial idea of this book but I just couldn’t like any of the characters in this book. Also I really annoyed my how the entire book we were told Zeke was gay and then he just kissed Victoria and all of a sudden she was practically in love with him.
Just not my cup of tea.
Just not my cup of tea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2017
I actually really liked Zeke until he turned out to be straight. Literally what the hell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2019
Just couldn’t get into this...
May 8, 2017
Victoria Navarro has just graduated high school and is looking for a way to make the moment count. With one of her best friends jetting off to spend a year doing humanitarian work in Africa, and her own impending departure to San Francisco (thus completely dismantling the trio of girlfriends that have dubbed themselves "The Cuddle Huddle"), Vic is anxious to create some long-lasting memories and blow out of town with a bang. And it is imperative that she have her best friends, Fletch and Slick, right by her side.
Rancho Soldado, a sleepy small town located in the shadow of Las Vegas, is just as ready for a big blow-out as she is. Happies, their resident safe place and iconic, tourist claim-to-fame, is closing up shop under the black cloud of bankruptcy. Bev Happie is ready to leave her childhood behind her and at the tender age of 75, is set on moving to Florida to begin anew with money made from the sale. Happies has been an institution in the town since her toddler years and although she's sad to see it end, Bev has no idea how to make things work anymore. Rancho is just far enough off the map that tourism has tapered off steadily enough over the years and hardly anyone comes through anymore - except the diehard Happies fans who are obsessed with the nostalgia that lives within the four walls of the restaurant and attached theme park.
When Bev finally gives in to Vic's insistent begging, an idea is born. Vic is going to throw the biggest send-off party her town has ever seen; both for Happies and the graduating class. She will be able to say goodbye to life as she's known it in style and maybe, just maybe, she'll finally be able to hook up with the guy she's had her eyes on for years.
Getting everything put together on short notice isn't going to be easy, especially with Vic's arch nemesis, Miss. Ann Thrope dogging her every step. Thrope has been looking for any opportunity to ruin her life for years and Vic just knows that if her old teacher gets wind of the party-of-the-century due to debut this weekend, all bets will be off. Fortunately for the Senior Class, Vic Navarro has never backed down from a chance to undermine her sworn enemy. Life is looking up.
But as the party begins, it's just one problem after another:
Jake, Vic's love interest and Slick's older brother, is in charge of the beer (courtesy of his broke-down car turned beer truck, christened The Chug Bug) but she can't seem to get him alone. And everything has to be on the down-low because Slick has expressly forbid her best friend from touching her brother.
Evergrace Everdell, the weird and annoying homeschooled kid who wasn't invited, shows up anyway and starts causing trouble. She's spouting off nonsense about Vic not knowing the truth about her best friends, and it's making her uneasy.
Zeke, the tall and emo brother to her crush, keeps following her around trying to be the voice of reason. Once he throws her cell phone into the night in an attempt to force her into having fun, she's technologically crippled and becomes unable to find her friends in the growing crowd.
And despite orders that the party be kept as secret as possible and no social media posts made, everyone has blasted the news that last call at Happies is happening now. The result is tons of Happies fans have descended upon the town and broken into the long since condemned and off-limits theme park in back of the old restaurant - breaking the one rule Bev gave to Vic in exchange for giving her a location for the party.
All hell has officially broken loose.
Will Vic be able to find her friends and put some troubling rumors to rest? Will she finally be able to share more than a stolen kiss with the guy she's been crushing on for years, without her best friend finding out? Will she be able to keep the party under control long enough that someone doesn't inadvertently set the place on fire? Will she be able to host this evening of debauchery under Thrope's nose and pull of the con of all cons?
And will she actually be able to say goodbye to Happies and Rancho Saldado for good?
Kill All Happies is the new book from Rachel Cohn, an author best known for her work on Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Gingerbread. She is a writer who celebrates a strong, female protagonist and Vic Navarro, star of Kill All Happies, is no exception. Cohn has a way of offering interesting and quirky characters that readers will enjoy getting to know. While Kill All Happies does indeed have several of these wonderful additions (Zeke, the punk-rocker with a heart of gold; Chester, the stoner older brother with a few surprises up his sleeve; Mayor Jerry, the resident hippie) I found that the antagonist, Miss. Ann Thrope, was sorely lacking. I would have loved for her to be a meatier villain with more depth - and I also would have enjoyed a stronger resolution between Vic and her mortal enemy. In fact, I would have preferred a stronger resolution for many things at the closing of the story. I was left wanting so much more.
Rating this book a 3.5 stars out of 5 is hard, because I did enjoy the story a lot. What I didn't enjoy was what I felt to be an excessive use of profanity that in my opinion, dumbed the characters down. Not all teenagers feel the need to drop the F-bomb every other word just to get their points across, and I always find myself a bit annoyed when authors assume this. It's as if they have in their head that this is how a teenager speaks, and so they elaborate upon that dialect. Another issue I had was while I appreciate a bit of reckless debauchery as a rite of passage for any kid in the middle of that awkward transition from older teenager to adult, I was a bit put off by the careless mentions of casual sex and hookups. I'm not an idiot, I know teenagers have sex, but I had a hard time believing that the majority of girls feel so unemotional about it. I think the author was using casual sex as a way to empower Vic and instead, it just made her appear a bit disconnected. Maybe I'm old and out of touch, but as the mother to a teenage daughter, it just seemed odd.
I loved - loved - loved the nostalgic feel of Happies and wish there was more background on the place that brought so many people - from all over the United States - together. It sounds like a place I would personally love to visit. Bev Happie was charming and a true staple in her community, which made it surprising that Rancho Saldado was okay with the place being closed down. But because Happies was so beloved, I had a hard time understanding how the devoted Happies fans would come into the old theme park and begin virtually destroying it via vandalism. It didn't quite make sense and was out of place.
I recommend Kill All Happies to YA readers 16 and up, due to the language and sexual conversations. Please be advised that no actual sex is involved ( just talk of it, and is not graphic in nature).
Rancho Soldado, a sleepy small town located in the shadow of Las Vegas, is just as ready for a big blow-out as she is. Happies, their resident safe place and iconic, tourist claim-to-fame, is closing up shop under the black cloud of bankruptcy. Bev Happie is ready to leave her childhood behind her and at the tender age of 75, is set on moving to Florida to begin anew with money made from the sale. Happies has been an institution in the town since her toddler years and although she's sad to see it end, Bev has no idea how to make things work anymore. Rancho is just far enough off the map that tourism has tapered off steadily enough over the years and hardly anyone comes through anymore - except the diehard Happies fans who are obsessed with the nostalgia that lives within the four walls of the restaurant and attached theme park.
When Bev finally gives in to Vic's insistent begging, an idea is born. Vic is going to throw the biggest send-off party her town has ever seen; both for Happies and the graduating class. She will be able to say goodbye to life as she's known it in style and maybe, just maybe, she'll finally be able to hook up with the guy she's had her eyes on for years.
Getting everything put together on short notice isn't going to be easy, especially with Vic's arch nemesis, Miss. Ann Thrope dogging her every step. Thrope has been looking for any opportunity to ruin her life for years and Vic just knows that if her old teacher gets wind of the party-of-the-century due to debut this weekend, all bets will be off. Fortunately for the Senior Class, Vic Navarro has never backed down from a chance to undermine her sworn enemy. Life is looking up.
But as the party begins, it's just one problem after another:
Jake, Vic's love interest and Slick's older brother, is in charge of the beer (courtesy of his broke-down car turned beer truck, christened The Chug Bug) but she can't seem to get him alone. And everything has to be on the down-low because Slick has expressly forbid her best friend from touching her brother.
Evergrace Everdell, the weird and annoying homeschooled kid who wasn't invited, shows up anyway and starts causing trouble. She's spouting off nonsense about Vic not knowing the truth about her best friends, and it's making her uneasy.
Zeke, the tall and emo brother to her crush, keeps following her around trying to be the voice of reason. Once he throws her cell phone into the night in an attempt to force her into having fun, she's technologically crippled and becomes unable to find her friends in the growing crowd.
And despite orders that the party be kept as secret as possible and no social media posts made, everyone has blasted the news that last call at Happies is happening now. The result is tons of Happies fans have descended upon the town and broken into the long since condemned and off-limits theme park in back of the old restaurant - breaking the one rule Bev gave to Vic in exchange for giving her a location for the party.
All hell has officially broken loose.
Will Vic be able to find her friends and put some troubling rumors to rest? Will she finally be able to share more than a stolen kiss with the guy she's been crushing on for years, without her best friend finding out? Will she be able to keep the party under control long enough that someone doesn't inadvertently set the place on fire? Will she be able to host this evening of debauchery under Thrope's nose and pull of the con of all cons?
And will she actually be able to say goodbye to Happies and Rancho Saldado for good?
Kill All Happies is the new book from Rachel Cohn, an author best known for her work on Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Gingerbread. She is a writer who celebrates a strong, female protagonist and Vic Navarro, star of Kill All Happies, is no exception. Cohn has a way of offering interesting and quirky characters that readers will enjoy getting to know. While Kill All Happies does indeed have several of these wonderful additions (Zeke, the punk-rocker with a heart of gold; Chester, the stoner older brother with a few surprises up his sleeve; Mayor Jerry, the resident hippie) I found that the antagonist, Miss. Ann Thrope, was sorely lacking. I would have loved for her to be a meatier villain with more depth - and I also would have enjoyed a stronger resolution between Vic and her mortal enemy. In fact, I would have preferred a stronger resolution for many things at the closing of the story. I was left wanting so much more.
Rating this book a 3.5 stars out of 5 is hard, because I did enjoy the story a lot. What I didn't enjoy was what I felt to be an excessive use of profanity that in my opinion, dumbed the characters down. Not all teenagers feel the need to drop the F-bomb every other word just to get their points across, and I always find myself a bit annoyed when authors assume this. It's as if they have in their head that this is how a teenager speaks, and so they elaborate upon that dialect. Another issue I had was while I appreciate a bit of reckless debauchery as a rite of passage for any kid in the middle of that awkward transition from older teenager to adult, I was a bit put off by the careless mentions of casual sex and hookups. I'm not an idiot, I know teenagers have sex, but I had a hard time believing that the majority of girls feel so unemotional about it. I think the author was using casual sex as a way to empower Vic and instead, it just made her appear a bit disconnected. Maybe I'm old and out of touch, but as the mother to a teenage daughter, it just seemed odd.
I loved - loved - loved the nostalgic feel of Happies and wish there was more background on the place that brought so many people - from all over the United States - together. It sounds like a place I would personally love to visit. Bev Happie was charming and a true staple in her community, which made it surprising that Rancho Saldado was okay with the place being closed down. But because Happies was so beloved, I had a hard time understanding how the devoted Happies fans would come into the old theme park and begin virtually destroying it via vandalism. It didn't quite make sense and was out of place.
I recommend Kill All Happies to YA readers 16 and up, due to the language and sexual conversations. Please be advised that no actual sex is involved ( just talk of it, and is not graphic in nature).
July 15, 2017
Ew. This book was so underdeveloped and unrealistic. I was so disgusted I could barely finish it.
The main character was boring and unlikable. She was going to, and kind of did, hook up with her best friend, Slick's, brother Jake behind her back, already well aware that Slick has issues with this. I wouldn't be upset if Jake and Vic wanted an actual relationship, but all Vic wants is to get laid. Like, seriously. That is being such a bad friend. And a horrible "best friend". . OH MY GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS?
The "lust interest" in this book, Jake, is a gross, pervy, jerky, cowardly, disgusting idiot.
Vic's 'best friends' are horrible best friends, and Vic isn't exactly a great best friend either. Vic puts people in one-dimensional roles and expects them to play it to a T, paraphrasing what Fletch told her. Fletch and Slick constantly abandon Vic when she needs their help. And they feel like they can't trust each other and go behind each other's backs.
The antagonist, Miss Ann Thrope, in this story was so hate able for three reasons. 1) She was arrogant, pretentious, and hated humankind. Driving her to punish others for what they did not do. She's off her hinges. 2) The entire reason she 'became' such a b*tch was because she couldn't stand that she . So what? Because of that she goes rogue and brings a rifle to a teenager's party? Because of that she pushes a van into a ravine? She also has a burning hate for Vic because Vic's absent mother stole Thrope's ex-fiance. Vic is no more responsible for that than you are. 3) She is such a cutout villain. Predictable. Angry. Wanting revenge.
The only character I liked in this book, the only one who was being a real friend to Vic and showing some actual decency was Zeke, Slick's other, younger brother. Vic assumed he was gay because he had colored hair, or something. I'm not even sure. And then, at the end of the book .
I hate it. I hate this book. It was so crap. I hate it.
The main character was boring and unlikable. She was going to, and kind of did, hook up with her best friend, Slick's, brother Jake behind her back, already well aware that Slick has issues with this. I wouldn't be upset if Jake and Vic wanted an actual relationship, but all Vic wants is to get laid. Like, seriously. That is being such a bad friend. And a horrible "best friend". . OH MY GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS?
The "lust interest" in this book, Jake, is a gross, pervy, jerky, cowardly, disgusting idiot.
Vic's 'best friends' are horrible best friends, and Vic isn't exactly a great best friend either. Vic puts people in one-dimensional roles and expects them to play it to a T, paraphrasing what Fletch told her. Fletch and Slick constantly abandon Vic when she needs their help. And they feel like they can't trust each other and go behind each other's backs.
The antagonist, Miss Ann Thrope, in this story was so hate able for three reasons. 1) She was arrogant, pretentious, and hated humankind. Driving her to punish others for what they did not do. She's off her hinges. 2) The entire reason she 'became' such a b*tch was because she couldn't stand that she . So what? Because of that she goes rogue and brings a rifle to a teenager's party? Because of that she pushes a van into a ravine? She also has a burning hate for Vic because Vic's absent mother stole Thrope's ex-fiance. Vic is no more responsible for that than you are. 3) She is such a cutout villain. Predictable. Angry. Wanting revenge.
The only character I liked in this book, the only one who was being a real friend to Vic and showing some actual decency was Zeke, Slick's other, younger brother. Vic assumed he was gay because he had colored hair, or something. I'm not even sure. And then, at the end of the book .
I hate it. I hate this book. It was so crap. I hate it.
June 12, 2017
This story follows Vic Navarro as she attempts to throw the "most epic post-graduation party the drought-parched town of Rancho Soldado, Nevada; home to the soon-to-be-closed-cult-following-having restaurant/amusement park "Happies"" has ever seen. Mostly so that she can get laid by one of her three "Cuddle Huddle" best friends' brother, Jake. There's political tension between civic-minded Vic and the town's Councilwoman (and economics teacher) and there's a melting pot of shallow but at least existent diversity of characters in here. This is a whirlwind romance that takes place over the course of one increasingly unlikely night of shenanigans.
Anything you didn’t like about it? It's got the insta-lust, swearing ("dumbsluts" and the "f-bomb" featuring prominently), undeveloped friends and family you are bound to get in such a Quick Love story but once the slower parts are over (by the last 1/3 of the book) it does fly by with quips and laughably improbable moments. But you really can skim the first 2/3rds and not miss anything.
To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) This was less quirky/fun than Cohn's earlier story of "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" but the quick pace of the story happening in one night could appeal to fans of this previous book.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Anything you didn’t like about it? It's got the insta-lust, swearing ("dumbsluts" and the "f-bomb" featuring prominently), undeveloped friends and family you are bound to get in such a Quick Love story but once the slower parts are over (by the last 1/3 of the book) it does fly by with quips and laughably improbable moments. But you really can skim the first 2/3rds and not miss anything.
To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) This was less quirky/fun than Cohn's earlier story of "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" but the quick pace of the story happening in one night could appeal to fans of this previous book.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
May 9, 2017
You can find my full review of this title
here
on The Book Hookup.
*Disclaimer: An ARC of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
Actual rating of 3.5 stars!
This was far from anything revolutionary in the world of YA contemp, but it made me laugh out loud more than a handful of times and the characters had spunk. Yes, it bordered on absurd more often than not, but with teenagers and their grand graduation party, what more could you possibly expect.
Mostly, I loved the heroine and her two best friends. I also loved the boy, even if it wasn't the boy it was supposed to have been.
The pacing was off for me, though, and I was missing a bit of deeper explorations of certain characters, so that's where my rating fell off the most.
♥ A very special thanks to Disney-Hyperion (especially the lovely Ms. Cassie) for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.
*Disclaimer: An ARC of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
Actual rating of 3.5 stars!
This was far from anything revolutionary in the world of YA contemp, but it made me laugh out loud more than a handful of times and the characters had spunk. Yes, it bordered on absurd more often than not, but with teenagers and their grand graduation party, what more could you possibly expect.
Mostly, I loved the heroine and her two best friends. I also loved the boy, even if it wasn't the boy it was supposed to have been.
The pacing was off for me, though, and I was missing a bit of deeper explorations of certain characters, so that's where my rating fell off the most.
♥ A very special thanks to Disney-Hyperion (especially the lovely Ms. Cassie) for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.
July 2, 2017
Calling something the "perfect summer read" feels cliched, but man, this book really is a perfect summer read. Following Vic Navarro as she tries to put on the greatest senior party her small town has ever seen, all while her insane economics teacher tries to ruin her life, and other outside forces come together to try and dismantle the fun.
This book gave me the same "one final party" vibe as Dazed and Confused, and other end-of-high-school stories, plus it's by the author of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, so you know she can cram a lot into one night.
Really enjoyable, highly recommend.
This book gave me the same "one final party" vibe as Dazed and Confused, and other end-of-high-school stories, plus it's by the author of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, so you know she can cram a lot into one night.
Really enjoyable, highly recommend.
August 15, 2017
It was fun and entertaining and random. I liked the friendship aspect and the main character and her siblings and Bev Happie. I also liked the super fun following happies had. The main character was amusing and flawed and had good character growth and I liked how much she loved her town and her friends. I think there was a little too much cursing and partying and such for my taste. (I guess it is about a high school giant party so) the love interest was fine I guess. The antagonist was so ridiculous and I loved that. but overall a fun book and pretty sweet too. I enjoyed it.
June 5, 2017
My full review of Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn: https://youtu.be/z-UXRLDF8Lw?list=PLz...
June 15, 2017
This was such a fun, summery contemporary!
June 28, 2017
ugh. these characters
April 26, 2018
Not my cup of tea but I will still read this author
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2018
it was fun and quick read.
March 20, 2017
In the small desert town of Rancho Soldado, Nevada, the restaurant Happies is beloved by its residents. But it is about to close its doors, for good. Victoria "Vic" Navarro, a former employee of Happies and a high school senior, decides to throw an epic graduation party there before the place shuts down. Unfortunately, not everybody in Rancho Soldado is for an Happies' last brawl. Ann Thrope, a rigid teacher who's feuding with Vic, makes it her personal mission to stop the party. But, Vic's determined; she and her friends will have their RASmatazz pie and eat it too before the night is over.
2.5 Stars
Kill All Happies is a contemporary teen novel by author Rachel Cohn. I've read Lily and Dash's Book of Dares by Cohn, so I already knew the writing style would appeal to me. I'm not necessary a fan of Cohn, but a remember thinking Lily and Dash's Book of Dares was a charming, light-hearted read.
Kill All Happies is, technically, an interesting concept. Granted, the crazy, over-the-top graduation party has been done before many times, but Kill All Happies sets itself apart with a string of original and diverse characters and endearing setting. Rancho Soldado, although very different, reminded me of Stars Hollow, Gilmore Girls' fictional town. It had the same feeling of warmth and close-knit community.
Although I enjoyed the setting and characters of Cohn's novel, I thought that many things were problematic. At 288 pages, Kill All Happies should have been an easy read, but I found myself putting it down several times out of boredom. While many elements of the novel were interesting, the emphasis was put, most of the time, on least taking content. For example, Vic and her friend group have a special dynamic which wasn't fully explored and mostly stayed on the surface, while Vic interacted more profoundly with less interesting characters.
The events of the book spread over less than 24-hours, however, it is difficult to believe that so many happened in so little time. The lack of realism is really an issue in Kill All Happies. Cohn manages to maintain a realistic outlook of teenagers for most of the book, with a few slips here and there. However, when Cohn slips, she really falls down hard.
Victoria "Vic" Navarro is the main character of Kill All Happies. She's your typical teenager; selfish and entitled, but also insecure. I felt like Cohn painted a realistic portrait of an eighteen year-old high school senior. However, the swearing was a bit heavy at times. It was unnecessary and lowered the quality of the novel. One of the things that I appreciated about Cohn's novel was the many colorful characters. There was a lot of potential in the way the were introduced. However, most of them weren't developed enough, or at all. Ann Thrope is a cardboard cut-out of a villain, without any nuances. Not enough pages were given to Slick and Fletch, Vic's best friends, or the girls' friendship. I thought that was a shame that Cohn had three interesting characters she chose not to develop. Another issue I had with Kill All Happies was that it had too many characters for its length. I had to go back many times because I couldn't remember certain characters that were introduced in the beginning of the book, only to reappear dozen of pages later.
Some of the content in Kill All Happies was misguided. I especially didn't like the main character's comment on domestic violence and how it couldn't happen in Rancho Soldado because they weren't "hicks". To have a character that oblivious about domestic violence and abuse was irritating.
Kill All Happies is an average teen novel with an interesting premise, but underdeveloped characters. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to recommend this book to younger teenagers because of the explicit content which includes swearing, underage drinking, drug use , etc.
2.5 Stars
Kill All Happies is a contemporary teen novel by author Rachel Cohn. I've read Lily and Dash's Book of Dares by Cohn, so I already knew the writing style would appeal to me. I'm not necessary a fan of Cohn, but a remember thinking Lily and Dash's Book of Dares was a charming, light-hearted read.
Kill All Happies is, technically, an interesting concept. Granted, the crazy, over-the-top graduation party has been done before many times, but Kill All Happies sets itself apart with a string of original and diverse characters and endearing setting. Rancho Soldado, although very different, reminded me of Stars Hollow, Gilmore Girls' fictional town. It had the same feeling of warmth and close-knit community.
Although I enjoyed the setting and characters of Cohn's novel, I thought that many things were problematic. At 288 pages, Kill All Happies should have been an easy read, but I found myself putting it down several times out of boredom. While many elements of the novel were interesting, the emphasis was put, most of the time, on least taking content. For example, Vic and her friend group have a special dynamic which wasn't fully explored and mostly stayed on the surface, while Vic interacted more profoundly with less interesting characters.
The events of the book spread over less than 24-hours, however, it is difficult to believe that so many happened in so little time. The lack of realism is really an issue in Kill All Happies. Cohn manages to maintain a realistic outlook of teenagers for most of the book, with a few slips here and there. However, when Cohn slips, she really falls down hard.
Victoria "Vic" Navarro is the main character of Kill All Happies. She's your typical teenager; selfish and entitled, but also insecure. I felt like Cohn painted a realistic portrait of an eighteen year-old high school senior. However, the swearing was a bit heavy at times. It was unnecessary and lowered the quality of the novel. One of the things that I appreciated about Cohn's novel was the many colorful characters. There was a lot of potential in the way the were introduced. However, most of them weren't developed enough, or at all. Ann Thrope is a cardboard cut-out of a villain, without any nuances. Not enough pages were given to Slick and Fletch, Vic's best friends, or the girls' friendship. I thought that was a shame that Cohn had three interesting characters she chose not to develop. Another issue I had with Kill All Happies was that it had too many characters for its length. I had to go back many times because I couldn't remember certain characters that were introduced in the beginning of the book, only to reappear dozen of pages later.
Some of the content in Kill All Happies was misguided. I especially didn't like the main character's comment on domestic violence and how it couldn't happen in Rancho Soldado because they weren't "hicks". To have a character that oblivious about domestic violence and abuse was irritating.
Kill All Happies is an average teen novel with an interesting premise, but underdeveloped characters. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to recommend this book to younger teenagers because of the explicit content which includes swearing, underage drinking, drug use , etc.
June 19, 2017
I hardly ever give books a one star rating but in this situation I feel that I have to. I didn't pick this book up with high expectations. I didn't pick it up with the intention to read a life-changing new favorite of mine. I picked it up and expected some sort of fun, quick read. It was quick but I didn't enjoy it.
The first thing that immediately ruined this book was the way that objectification of girls was completely brushed off. In one scene Vic (the main protagonist) is having a conversation with Jake (Vic's crush) and he says this:
"I could offer that generous profit share to a C cup...you're a...what?" Jake squinted, like he was peering more closely. "Solid B?" he teased."
Ew. Disgusting. He's basically saying that girls are nothing more than their bra size (which is so wrong.) And what is Vic's reaction to this? I'll put it right here:
"Jake would have to work a lot harder to offend me by objectifying me."
Wait. Hold on. She's not offended by this? But she TOTALLY SHOULD BE HE LITERALLY JUST OBJECTIFIED HER. Not only is she totally condoning his objectification of her but she's actually encouraging it by saying that he should "work harder to offend her." His comment was already super offensive and it's never challenged-WTF?
Another thing I found particularly sexist is the way that Vic is so often referred to as a "dumbslut" because she likes Jake. Personally, I found her incredible foolish to like a guy who objectified her. But apparently he also is a playboy so Vic's friends (and her own sister) call her a "dumbslut" because she likes him. I have so many problems with this I don't even know where to begin. So Vic is basically not only being called a slut but also dumb for liking a guy. Jake is the one who dates around but she's the one getting called a slut for LIKING him. Again I found this offensive and unhealthy beyond words. A girl should not be called a slut for liking a guy.
Getting on with my other problems with this book. The plot was flimsy at best. It's a party that keeps getting wilder. That's it. That's all. I don't even know why I picked this book up in the first place smh.
The characters were super under developed, not only that but they had no respect for anything (including themselves) which is super annoying and not at all enjoyable to read. I had no personal connection to any of them and most of the time they just wound up getting on my nerves.
And yeah, eventually, Vic comes to realize that Jake is an asshole. But it's not like she reflects on the situation and thinks back to when he objectified her. It's when he literally says to her face that he hates her and wish that she never existed.
There was some diversity in this book which I would just like to mention because I do feel it is extremely important to include diversity in literature and at least this book managed to do that.
Overall, I really did not like this book and am in dire need right now of a book with a strong female lead who doesn't let a guy objectify her.
The first thing that immediately ruined this book was the way that objectification of girls was completely brushed off. In one scene Vic (the main protagonist) is having a conversation with Jake (Vic's crush) and he says this:
"I could offer that generous profit share to a C cup...you're a...what?" Jake squinted, like he was peering more closely. "Solid B?" he teased."
Ew. Disgusting. He's basically saying that girls are nothing more than their bra size (which is so wrong.) And what is Vic's reaction to this? I'll put it right here:
"Jake would have to work a lot harder to offend me by objectifying me."
Wait. Hold on. She's not offended by this? But she TOTALLY SHOULD BE HE LITERALLY JUST OBJECTIFIED HER. Not only is she totally condoning his objectification of her but she's actually encouraging it by saying that he should "work harder to offend her." His comment was already super offensive and it's never challenged-WTF?
Another thing I found particularly sexist is the way that Vic is so often referred to as a "dumbslut" because she likes Jake. Personally, I found her incredible foolish to like a guy who objectified her. But apparently he also is a playboy so Vic's friends (and her own sister) call her a "dumbslut" because she likes him. I have so many problems with this I don't even know where to begin. So Vic is basically not only being called a slut but also dumb for liking a guy. Jake is the one who dates around but she's the one getting called a slut for LIKING him. Again I found this offensive and unhealthy beyond words. A girl should not be called a slut for liking a guy.
Getting on with my other problems with this book. The plot was flimsy at best. It's a party that keeps getting wilder. That's it. That's all. I don't even know why I picked this book up in the first place smh.
The characters were super under developed, not only that but they had no respect for anything (including themselves) which is super annoying and not at all enjoyable to read. I had no personal connection to any of them and most of the time they just wound up getting on my nerves.
And yeah, eventually, Vic comes to realize that Jake is an asshole. But it's not like she reflects on the situation and thinks back to when he objectified her. It's when he literally says to her face that he hates her and wish that she never existed.
There was some diversity in this book which I would just like to mention because I do feel it is extremely important to include diversity in literature and at least this book managed to do that.
Overall, I really did not like this book and am in dire need right now of a book with a strong female lead who doesn't let a guy objectify her.
February 10, 2017
Note: I received an e-copy of this book from Disney-Hyperion via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD!
Kill All Happies is a fun book, light hearted filled with warmth. The book edges towards absurdity at certain parts, but all of it comes off as charming enough that I didn't mind it. The story focuses on the night of the Happies party, told to us by Victoria, who didn't really stand out from any of your run-off-the-mill YA character. However, being generic is not something you can hold against her. She is a well written eighteen year old, who sounds and acts like it, which I think serves the purpose. The book also has a slew of other characters, some of them adorable in their own way (like Zeke), while a lot of them simply fade to the background.
One thing that did bother me was the lack of character dimensionality. Due to the fact that all the events transpire over a single night and there were plenty of characters, I ended up seeing all of them as very one dimensional people. When Vic had a fight with her friends, I couldnt care much, because I didnt care too much about her friends. Her arch-nemesis, Thorpe, didnt anger or annoy me, because she wasn't around or developed enough for me to care about. Most oft these just seemed like plot points for the sake of it, to move the story forward. However, it would have been interesting to learn more about some of these characters. (I have to mention Vic's brother Chester here, who seemed way too interesting to have been so underdeveloped).
The romance in the story also sort of springs out of nowhere.
The plot is predictable, but fun. You look at the cover of the book and you expect an adorable YA book, the feel good kind. And this is exactly what you get out of it. The book did have its moments, particularly when the book talks about Happies. You can imagine the old theme park, the diner, you feel the love that everyone has for it. It makes you want to find Happies too, youre rooting for it by the end of the book. I think thats the major win for me.
I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a fun, light hearted read, to breeze through in one day.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD!
Kill All Happies is a fun book, light hearted filled with warmth. The book edges towards absurdity at certain parts, but all of it comes off as charming enough that I didn't mind it. The story focuses on the night of the Happies party, told to us by Victoria, who didn't really stand out from any of your run-off-the-mill YA character. However, being generic is not something you can hold against her. She is a well written eighteen year old, who sounds and acts like it, which I think serves the purpose. The book also has a slew of other characters, some of them adorable in their own way (like Zeke), while a lot of them simply fade to the background.
One thing that did bother me was the lack of character dimensionality. Due to the fact that all the events transpire over a single night and there were plenty of characters, I ended up seeing all of them as very one dimensional people. When Vic had a fight with her friends, I couldnt care much, because I didnt care too much about her friends. Her arch-nemesis, Thorpe, didnt anger or annoy me, because she wasn't around or developed enough for me to care about. Most oft these just seemed like plot points for the sake of it, to move the story forward. However, it would have been interesting to learn more about some of these characters. (I have to mention Vic's brother Chester here, who seemed way too interesting to have been so underdeveloped).
The romance in the story also sort of springs out of nowhere.
The plot is predictable, but fun. You look at the cover of the book and you expect an adorable YA book, the feel good kind. And this is exactly what you get out of it. The book did have its moments, particularly when the book talks about Happies. You can imagine the old theme park, the diner, you feel the love that everyone has for it. It makes you want to find Happies too, youre rooting for it by the end of the book. I think thats the major win for me.
I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a fun, light hearted read, to breeze through in one day.
May 19, 2017
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Kill all Happies is a standalone young adult contemporary novel by Rachel Cohn. I know this is going to sound crazy, but this is the first book I have read by Rachel. Kill All Happies is a story of a senior class' last hurrah. And boy oh boy is it one heck of a night for them. I really enjoyed this crazy over the top story. It was a lot of fun to read. It was certainly not like any graduation party I have seen in real life, but I am sure graduation parties like this have taken place many times. Rachel Cohn has a very snappy and funny writing style. It was one of the things I enjoyed most about the story. The first page of the book had me laughing out loud, which I knew was going to a sign of great things to come.
Happies is a local restaurant, that also has an amusement park?! What? How could something that sounds that cool, close down? Victoria, or Vic, was the favorite worst server at Happies, and she wants to throw the party to end all parties for her graduating class. At first, I wasn't a huge fan of Vic, but I tell you what...she totally grew on me. I thought this book was going to be all about superficial fun. And I think mostly it was. And that part was a blast. But there was this unexpected element of nostalgia, that I really appreciated from Vic and from Kill all Happies. It helped me relate to her on a deeper level. Because I totally get the sadness that comes with saying goodbye to your high school friends and the stress that comes with the uncertainty of college or other future plans. It was this aspect of Kill all Happies that I really loved.
The romance was ok and and the secondary characters were all ok as well. The plot was hilarious. It kind of reminded me of the hangover movies, or those other movies that take place in one 24 hour period where everything goes wrong. And each time it one ups the last time. I mean some of the things were epically ridiculous, which I loved. It makes me laugh just thinking about some of the things that happened in this book. But you know what? The crazier the story got, the more I liked Vic. (she certainly does curse a lot though. I have nothing against cursing, but it felt a little heavy handed at times.)
Kill all Happies is a really fun ride. I loved all the zany antics, and I really loved Rachel Cohn's writing style. If you are looking for a really funny young adult read that has a little romance, lots of bad decisions (and some good ones) and lots of fun, Kill all Happies is one heck of a fun read. I really enjoyed this one.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Kill all Happies is a standalone young adult contemporary novel by Rachel Cohn. I know this is going to sound crazy, but this is the first book I have read by Rachel. Kill All Happies is a story of a senior class' last hurrah. And boy oh boy is it one heck of a night for them. I really enjoyed this crazy over the top story. It was a lot of fun to read. It was certainly not like any graduation party I have seen in real life, but I am sure graduation parties like this have taken place many times. Rachel Cohn has a very snappy and funny writing style. It was one of the things I enjoyed most about the story. The first page of the book had me laughing out loud, which I knew was going to a sign of great things to come.
Happies is a local restaurant, that also has an amusement park?! What? How could something that sounds that cool, close down? Victoria, or Vic, was the favorite worst server at Happies, and she wants to throw the party to end all parties for her graduating class. At first, I wasn't a huge fan of Vic, but I tell you what...she totally grew on me. I thought this book was going to be all about superficial fun. And I think mostly it was. And that part was a blast. But there was this unexpected element of nostalgia, that I really appreciated from Vic and from Kill all Happies. It helped me relate to her on a deeper level. Because I totally get the sadness that comes with saying goodbye to your high school friends and the stress that comes with the uncertainty of college or other future plans. It was this aspect of Kill all Happies that I really loved.
The romance was ok and and the secondary characters were all ok as well. The plot was hilarious. It kind of reminded me of the hangover movies, or those other movies that take place in one 24 hour period where everything goes wrong. And each time it one ups the last time. I mean some of the things were epically ridiculous, which I loved. It makes me laugh just thinking about some of the things that happened in this book. But you know what? The crazier the story got, the more I liked Vic. (she certainly does curse a lot though. I have nothing against cursing, but it felt a little heavy handed at times.)
Kill all Happies is a really fun ride. I loved all the zany antics, and I really loved Rachel Cohn's writing style. If you are looking for a really funny young adult read that has a little romance, lots of bad decisions (and some good ones) and lots of fun, Kill all Happies is one heck of a fun read. I really enjoyed this one.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
May 30, 2017
DNF at 41%.
Alrighty, then. I am pretty sure I will be reviled for the following ranting review, but I just gotta say what's on my mind.
When I was in school, being taught and encouraged to write fiction, the party line of the day was, "Write what you know."
Maybe that's why I didn't pursue writing - maybe I just don't know much, but I know this: I'm a middle-aged heterosexual white chick. I grew up in the fifth largest city in the US, which has larger-than-average Hispanic, black, Asian, and LGBQTIA(etc.) populations. I was raised by progressive liberal Democrats in the Republican South.
Personally, I think people are people before they're anything else. And I think everybody should be able to be whomever they wish to be. I'm a live-and-let-live kinda gal, mostly.
But I'm getting old, because three times in the last week I've had to look up new sexual identity terms on Urban Dictionary. I had no idea you could identify as Bi but have a strong attraction to inanimate objects as well.
On Booktube, I keep hearing about Diversity Bingo, and reading to tick off slots on your Diversity Card.
Ooooh-kay.
I read because I love to read. If a story appeals to me, I'll read it. With a lot of recent YA novels, however, I feel like the authors aren't writing what they know so much as ticking off slots on their Diversity Bingo cards in a blatant money grab.
Seriously, when I look at people, I'm usually trying to determine if they'll make good friends or coworkers. Their diverse sexual proclivities don't concern me at all. Nor do many of them want to know that I am strongly attracted to Latino males.
This book. I picked it up because it has a cute package. Yes, I am also shallow. I like cute things. It has a map of a theme park that kinda reminded me of a place from my childhood.
And then this book ran off the rails with such diverse diversity it never developed a storyline. The characters were so busy being diverse characters they forgot to develop any sort of personalities beyond cookie-cutter standups.
I'm all for gay marriage, interracial marriage, sperm donors, Third-World adoptions, and sex with mail boxes if that's your thing (just not my mail box, please). If you want to write about those things, that's great, too. It just seems to me, though, that if you throw all the colors of the rainbow into one book because it's the current cool thing to do, you muddy everything up, your cause loses its point and you end up with a shallow, gray, ugly mess.
The best people are the ones who just go around being themselves. Usually the message comes across without a hammer.
Alrighty, then. I am pretty sure I will be reviled for the following ranting review, but I just gotta say what's on my mind.
When I was in school, being taught and encouraged to write fiction, the party line of the day was, "Write what you know."
Maybe that's why I didn't pursue writing - maybe I just don't know much, but I know this: I'm a middle-aged heterosexual white chick. I grew up in the fifth largest city in the US, which has larger-than-average Hispanic, black, Asian, and LGBQTIA(etc.) populations. I was raised by progressive liberal Democrats in the Republican South.
Personally, I think people are people before they're anything else. And I think everybody should be able to be whomever they wish to be. I'm a live-and-let-live kinda gal, mostly.
But I'm getting old, because three times in the last week I've had to look up new sexual identity terms on Urban Dictionary. I had no idea you could identify as Bi but have a strong attraction to inanimate objects as well.
On Booktube, I keep hearing about Diversity Bingo, and reading to tick off slots on your Diversity Card.
Ooooh-kay.
I read because I love to read. If a story appeals to me, I'll read it. With a lot of recent YA novels, however, I feel like the authors aren't writing what they know so much as ticking off slots on their Diversity Bingo cards in a blatant money grab.
Seriously, when I look at people, I'm usually trying to determine if they'll make good friends or coworkers. Their diverse sexual proclivities don't concern me at all. Nor do many of them want to know that I am strongly attracted to Latino males.
This book. I picked it up because it has a cute package. Yes, I am also shallow. I like cute things. It has a map of a theme park that kinda reminded me of a place from my childhood.
And then this book ran off the rails with such diverse diversity it never developed a storyline. The characters were so busy being diverse characters they forgot to develop any sort of personalities beyond cookie-cutter standups.
I'm all for gay marriage, interracial marriage, sperm donors, Third-World adoptions, and sex with mail boxes if that's your thing (just not my mail box, please). If you want to write about those things, that's great, too. It just seems to me, though, that if you throw all the colors of the rainbow into one book because it's the current cool thing to do, you muddy everything up, your cause loses its point and you end up with a shallow, gray, ugly mess.
The best people are the ones who just go around being themselves. Usually the message comes across without a hammer.
October 9, 2019
3.5 stars out of 5
This book was CRAZY. I would not recommend this book for kids in high school. Alcohol, drugs, fornication, homosexuality, porn and a lot of profanity were things mentioned or acted upon in this book. Despite all that, this book had a fast pace flow that I liked. This book read like a teenage contemporary movie. The main character, Victoria, graduates high school and wants to throw the ultimate party at her favorite childhood dinner and place of employment that's closing, Happies. Her intent is to give the place a good send off to the place she loves and take revenge on her arch-nemesis town councilwoman and economics teacher, Miss Ann Thrope. Officially, since there are a lot of illegal things in the works, she and her former classmates have to keep everything on the hush hush. However, things get out of hand when Happies fans find out that Happies is closing and a herd of Happies fan crash the party andddddd do the one thing that former owner,Bev Happie, had forbidden.
Besides all the inappropriate and sinful things I mentioned, I didn't like that one of Vic's main goals was to hook up with one of her best friend's brothers. I never liked the idea of people having sex in pursuit of fulfilling some conquest. I personally can not relate to the high school experience written in this book, but was very much how Hollywood pictures the high shcool/ college experience. At least there were consequences for some of the stuff AND at least everyone got food by the end of the night.
This book was CRAZY. I would not recommend this book for kids in high school. Alcohol, drugs, fornication, homosexuality, porn and a lot of profanity were things mentioned or acted upon in this book. Despite all that, this book had a fast pace flow that I liked. This book read like a teenage contemporary movie. The main character, Victoria, graduates high school and wants to throw the ultimate party at her favorite childhood dinner and place of employment that's closing, Happies. Her intent is to give the place a good send off to the place she loves and take revenge on her arch-nemesis town councilwoman and economics teacher, Miss Ann Thrope. Officially, since there are a lot of illegal things in the works, she and her former classmates have to keep everything on the hush hush. However, things get out of hand when Happies fans find out that Happies is closing and a herd of Happies fan crash the party andddddd do the one thing that former owner,Bev Happie, had forbidden.
Besides all the inappropriate and sinful things I mentioned, I didn't like that one of Vic's main goals was to hook up with one of her best friend's brothers. I never liked the idea of people having sex in pursuit of fulfilling some conquest. I personally can not relate to the high school experience written in this book, but was very much how Hollywood pictures the high shcool/ college experience. At least there were consequences for some of the stuff AND at least everyone got food by the end of the night.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews